Comparative Analysis of Pedestrian, Bicycle and Car Traffic Moving in Circuits

AbstractIn this study, we provide results of controlled experiments of single file bicycle movement on a circuit. We compare the fundamental characteristics of bicycle traffic with that of car and pedestrian traffic, which have been studied extensively in previous research under similar condition. From the comparison of the time-space diagrams of these three one-dimensional traffic flows, different states of motion (free flow state, the jammed state and stop-and-go waves) can be observed in all these systems. The fundamental diagrams are compared in two different ways. Without considering the size and free velocity of these three kinds of objects, the data points occupy different density ranges in the diagram. However, when we use the concept of scaling by considering the free velocity and size of the moving objects, the fundamental diagrams show the same structure and values. This implies that the transport properties in these three different types of single file traffic flow could be unified in a certain range by simple scaling. These results provide insights into the dynamics but also may be relevant for the improvement of mixed traffic systems